Open policies needed to develop the private economy

On July 9, the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association started the Vietnam Private Economic Forum 2025 (VPSF 2025). Thanh Nien Newspaper reporters had a conversation with Mr. Dang Hong Anh, Vice President of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union, President of the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association, about the message that the forum aims for.

Creating a channel for in-depth dialogue on the private economy

Could you tell us about the goal of organizing the Vietnam Private Economic Forum 2025?

Mr. Dang Hong Anh: The biggest goal of the Forum is to create a channel for in-depth and substantive dialogue between the private sector and policy-making agencies, from the central to local levels. This is not simply a place for businesses to reflect on difficulties or make recommendations, but a journey for entrepreneurs, businesses, managers, experts, and researchers to work together to build policies, from practice, for practice, and for the future.

We want to affirm that entrepreneurs, including young entrepreneurs, are not only producers and traders, but can and must be a pioneering force contributing to building the country's economy in the new era of the nation.

Mr. Dang Hong Anh, Vice President of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union, President of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association - PHOTO: Contributor

Sir, what is different about the content of this year's forum compared to previous years, and what is the scale of the organization?

This year's forum is designed according to a very new process. We organize three levels: a local round with nearly 15 dialogue sessions, 4 ministerial-level thematic dialogue sessions, and conclude with a high-level dialogue session, with the participation of many organizations, individuals, and nearly 5,000 entrepreneurs nationwide. The forum does not take place in one day, but lasts for 3 months, with a system of continuous, consistent, and leading dialogue sessions. This helps the policy recommendation process become methodical, focused, with evidence from practice, and with inter-sectoral coordination from the beginning.

The content of the forum revolves around four major pillars that we have built in close accordance with the key resolutions of the Politburo: Resolution 57 on science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation; Resolution 59 on international integration; Resolution 66 on building a synchronous and modern legal system; and Resolution 68 on private economic development. This is the first time that an association, with a social role, has hosted such a large-scale, in-depth policy dialogue process.

How will the association support the opinions of business people at the forum to turn them into specific policies?

With this forum, we have established very clear responsibilities. Each opinion, each proposal is systematically organized in a scientific manner. We have a specialized team to synthesize, analyze, and group by topic, each field, and link to each specific legal document. After that, the proposals will be converted into specialized reports, summary reports, and included in the forum's joint statement and then the "White Paper of the Vietnam Private Economic Forum", a document that will be submitted to Party, National Assembly, and Government agencies.

Press conference organizers announce the 2025 Private Economic Forum - PHOTO: BTC

More importantly, the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association will act as a bridge, promoting the two-way dialogue process. We will chair working sessions with ministries and branches, will respond if necessary, will monitor the roadmap for handling recommendations, and will publicize progress. Professionalism, transparency and responsibility are the ways for the forum to not stop at statements, but become actions.

Shifting the role of entrepreneurs

How do you assess the current situation of advantages and disadvantages for young entrepreneurs? Are there any bottlenecks that need to be specifically removed?

The biggest advantage, I think, is the increasingly open policy environment. The mindset of "valuing the private economy" has truly entered the Party's documents, resolutions and actions of the entire political system. Young entrepreneurs today no longer have to prove that they need to be recognized. They have been and are expected to become a new force of construction.

But that comes with many challenges. Many startups face difficulties in capital, especially long-term capital for innovation. Access to land, investment procedures, and administrative licenses are also old bottlenecks but still very hot. Another bottleneck is the lack of stability and consistency in institutions, making it impossible for businesses to predict the policy roadmap.

In your opinion, what is the greatest significance of the 2025 forum in the context of the whole country resolutely implementing the new resolutions of the Politburo?

I think the 2025 Private Economic Forum can be an important milestone in the journey to realize the spirit of the "four pillars", especially Resolution 68. The Resolution has clearly identified that the private economy is one of the important driving forces of the economy, but for that to become a reality, we need appropriate institutions, open policy corridors, a stable legal environment, and most importantly, the real participation of the people involved.

To me, the greatest significance of the forum is the shift in the role of entrepreneurs, from reflectors to co-creators. When young entrepreneurs not only speak up, but also participate in proposing, criticizing, and accompanying the revision and development of policies, that is when the private economy truly matures. And that is when the country can confidently go faster, further, on the path of sustainable development.

Thank you!

According to Thanh Nien Newspaper